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Nonprofits

Driven by a public service mission, nonprofits have the power to be true agents of change. But running a nonprofit that makes a difference requires so much more than just a good heart and good intentions. Increased calls for accountability and transparency mean linking values to performance, and performance to outcomes, and outcomes to budget lines. There are also increased calls for cross-sector collaborations with government agencies and for-profit entities. How do we come to the table, align values, and agree on desired results, while also establishing appropriate performance indicators? At the end of the day, how do we prove we’ve had an impact? How do we show we’ve actually made a difference?

At a time when running and managing a nonprofit has grown in complexity, more of our students come to us wanting the background and skills to start their own nonprofits or create effective change within an existing one. And we deliver—with a difference. In our degree programs, and especially our public and nonprofit management and policy program, we start with a rigorous training in nonprofit management techniques and technologies: from HR considerations to financial strategies, from strategic planning to performance management and development. Then we layer over those skills a web of perspectives about the role value-driven organizations can and do play in social transformations. We help students figure out for themselves how to make sure work has value and substance—and achieves a vision driven by democratic values. And all of this takes place in NYC—perhaps the richest laboratory for nonprofit innovation in the world today.

NYU Wagner alumni are known—and hired—for their ability to take big, messy nonprofit issues and figure what’s going wrong and how to fix it. They are regularly called in as consultants when foundations, organizations, and agencies need innovative solutions. And some NYU Wagner alumni are known for more than just building organizations—they’re building movements and leading conversations that change the way we think about impact.

Leading Organizational Alliances for Public Service

Professor Thomas D'Aunno explores the challenges and importance of building organizational alliances across sectors.

Helping Nonprofits Create More Impact with Their Work

As Co-Director of the Building Movement Project, alumnus Sean Thomas Breitfeld works to advance the potential for nonprofit organizations to have an impact in building movements for progressive social change.

Alumni in Action: Leading the Conversation about Race and Identity in Nonprofit Leadership

Helping Nonprofits Create More Impact with Their Work

As Co-Director of the Building Movement Project, alumnus Sean Thomas Breitfeld works to advance the potential for nonprofit organizations to have an impact in building movements for progressive social change.